As you may have heard or read elsewhere, longtime Blue Grass Boy, Clarence "Tater" Tate is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer. Tater started as a fiddle player with Bill Monroe in the late 1950s, left for a while, and then returned to the Blue Grass Boys in the mid-1980s and stayed on until Monroe's last performance in 1996. In addition to being a Blue Grass Boy, Tater also worked with Red Smiley & the Shenandoah Cut-ups, as well as Hylo Brown and with Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass.
There will be a benefit concert to raise money for Tater's treatment on Sunday, April 15th in Bristol, VA. This should be a great show, as one of the features will be a Blue Grass Boys reunion, tentatively including former BGB's Bobby Hicks, Butch Robins, Wayne Lewis, Tom Ewing, Blake Williams, and others. For those of us who can't attend the benefit, there is still a way to contribute to the effort. If you'd like to help, send a check (payable to "Clarence Tate") to:
Raymond McLain
Bluegrass, Oldtime & Country Music Program
East Tennessee State Univ.
PO Box 70435
Johnson City, TN 37614-1704
Every little bit helps, and I'm sure will be much appreciated. If you can help Tater, or even if you just want to send a note with good wishes, please do.
Amy
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